Jane Austen's Sailor Brothers by J. H. Hubback (top 10 novels .TXT) đź“–
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Captain Charles Inglis, who was to succeed Francis Austen, had served as lieutenant in the Penelope, and specially distinguished himself in the capture of the Guillaume Tell.
While these conjectures as to Frank’s whereabouts and the possible date of his return were passing between his relations at home, he had been still pursuing the ordinary round of duties such as are described in this letter, quite ignorant until the actual event of any approaching change either for them or for himself.
“SIR,—I have to inform you that I anchored with his Majesty’s sloop under my command at Larnaca on the evening of the 1st instant, where I completed my water, and purchased as much wine as the ship would stow, but was not able to procure any bread, as from the great exports of corn which have been lately made to supply the Vizir’s army in Syria, the inhabitants are almost in a state of famine. I sailed from Larnaca the evening of the 6th, and anchored here on the 9th at noon. As I had only five days’ bread on board I have judged it proper to take on board 50 quintals of that which had been prepared for the Tigre, and not being acquainted with the price agreed on, have directed the purser to leave a certificate with the Dragoman of the Porte, for the quantity received, that it may be included with the Tigre’s vouchers, and settled for with the purser of that ship.
“The Governor of Nicosia made application to me yesterday in the name of the Capitan Pacha for assistance to enable him to get a gun on shore from one of the gun-boats which has been wrecked here, which, tho’ I knew would detain me a day, I thought it right to comply with; the gun has been to-day got on shore, and I am now going to weigh. I propose stretching more towards Alexandria if the wind is not very unfavourable, and should I find no counter orders, shall afterwards put in execution the latter part of yours of the 23rd ult.
“I have directed the captain of the Kirling Gech, which I found here on my arrival without orders, to wait till the 16th for the arrival of the Tigre, when, if not otherwise directed, to proceed to Rhodes, and follow such orders or information as he may obtain there.
“I have the honor to be, &c.,
“To Sir Sydney Smith.”
“The latter part of yours of the 23rd” possibly refers to instructions to proceed to Rhodes, for we find in the log that the Peterel went on there early in October, and there at last Captain Austen was greeted with the news of his promotion to Post Rank. The Peterel anchored in the Road of Rhodes at ten o’clock on the morning of October 20, where the Tigre was 21 days at anchor, and at this point the private log of the Peterel stops short.
Although we have no account from Francis Austen himself of his meeting with Captain Inglis, he evidently wrote a lively description of the incident to his sisters. Jane writes from Steventon on January 21st to Cassandra: “Well, and so Frank’s letter has made you very happy, but you are afraid he would not have patience to stay for the Haarlem, which you wish him to have done, as being safer than the merchantman.” Frank’s great desire was clearly to get home as soon as possible after an absence of nearly three years. It is curious to think of the risks supposed to be incurred by passengers on board a merchantman.
The following comment on the colour of the ink is amply borne out in the log: “Poor fellow! to wait from the middle of November to the end of December, and perhaps even longer, it must be sad work; especially in a place where the ink is so abominably pale. What a surprise to him it must have been on October 20th to be visited, collared, and thrust out of the Peterel by Captain Inglis. He kindly passes over the poignancy of his feelings in quitting his ship, his officers, and his men.
“What a pity it is that he should not be in England at the time of this promotion, because he certainly would have had an appointment, so everybody says, and therefore it must be right for me to say it too. Had he been really here, the certainty of the appointment, I dare say, would not have been half so great; as it could not be brought to the proof, his absence will be always a lucky source of regret.”
The “promotion” spoken of in this letter was extensive, and took place on January 1, 1801, on the occasion of the union of Great Britain and Ireland. At the same time there was an increase in the number of line-of-battle ships which is commented on with reference to Charles.
“Eliza talks of having read in a newspaper that all the 1st lieutenants of the frigates whose captains were to be sent into line-of-battle ships were to be promoted to the rank of commanders. If it be true, Mr. Valentine may afford himself a fine Valentine’s knot, and Charles may perhaps become 1st of the Endymion, though I suppose Captain Durham is too likely to bring a villain with him under that denomination.”
The letters give no account of the homecoming, but from the story of William Price’s return in “Mansfield Park,” we can see that Jane knew something of the mingled feelings of such a meeting.
“This dear William would soon be amongst them… . scarcely ten days had passed since Fanny had been in the agitation of her first dinner visit, when she found herself in an agitation of a higher nature… . watching in the hall, in the lobby, on the stairs, for the first sound of the carriage which was to bring her a brother.
“It was long before Fanny could recover from the agitating happiness of such an hour as was formed by the last thirty minutes of expectation and the first of fruition.
“It was some time even before her happiness could be said to make her happy, before the disappointment inseparable from the alteration of person had vanished, and she could see in him the same William as before, and talk to him as her heart had been yearning to do through many a past year.”
FRANCIS AUSTEN’S first appointment on his promotion to post rank was to the Neptune, as Flag-Captain to Admiral James Gambier. It was not usual for an Admiral to choose as his Flag-Captain one who had so lately gained the step in rank. It is clear from the letters of Francis Austen at this time that he, in common with many officers in the Navy, was bent on improvements in the food and general comforts of the crews. Francis Austen’s capacity for detail would here stand him in good stead. There is one letter of his concerning the best way of preserving cheeses, which is a good example of his interest in the small things of his profession. He had, on the advice of Admiral Gambier, made the experiment of coating some cheeses with whitewash in order to keep them in good condition in hot weather, and had found it very successful. He thereupon wrote to the Admiralty Commissioners recommending that all cheeses should be so treated before being shipped, in order that the men might have “more wholesome and nutritive food,” and also “that a material ultimate saving to the public may be effected at an inconsiderable first cost.”
We have not far to look for a parallel to this love of detail in the works of Jane Austen. Admirers and detractors are agreed in saying that she thought nothing too unimportant to be of interest, and in allowing the justice of her own description of her work—” the little bit (two inches wide) of ivory on which I work with so fine a brush, as produces little effect after much labour.” There is no doubt that naval officers must often have felt in their dealings with the Admiralty that they produced “little effect after much labour.”
A curious point of etiquette in connection with these letters is that the Commissioners invariably signed themselves “Your affectionate friends,” followed by the names of those concerned in the business.
At the peace of Amiens, Francis Austen, among many other officers, went on half-pay; but when war broke out again in 1803, we find him at Ramsgate, employed in raising a body of “Sea Fencibles.” This service was instituted chiefly on the advice of Captain Popham, who had tried something of the same kind in Flanders in 1793.
The object, of course, was to protect the coast from invasion. The corps was composed of fishermen, commanded in each district by an officer in the Navy, whose duty it was to quarter the men on the beach, exercise them, and to have the beaches watched whenever the weather was favourable for the enemy to land. The men were exercised once a week, and were paid at the rate of a shilling a day, with a food allowance when on service.
Captain Austen’s report on the coast of the district lying between the North Foreland and Sandown is a document of considerable detail, dealing with the possible landing-places for a hostile army. He comes to the conclusion that in moderate weather a landing might be effected on many parts of this coast, particularly in Pegwell Bay, where “the enemy would have no heights to gain,” and, further, “that any time of tide would be equally favourable for the debarkation of troops on this shore.” But “in blowing weather, open flat boats filled with troops would doubtless many of them be lost in the surf, while larger vessels could not, from the flatness of the coast, approach sufficiently near.” Of course, all is subject to “the enemy’s evading our cruisers, and getting past the ships in the Downs.”
This time at Ramsgate was of importance to Francis, for it was here that he met, and became engaged to, Mary Gibson, who was his wife for seventeen years. This engagement, though “Mrs. F. A.” became one of the best loved of the sisters-in-law, must at the outset have been a slight shock to Jane and Cassandra, who for long had been cherishing a hope that Frank would marry their beloved friend Martha Lloyd. A few extracts taken from the letters will show their affection and their hopes.
“I love Martha better than ever, and I mean to go and see her, if I can, when she gets home… . I shall be very glad to see you at home again, and then—if we can get Martha—who will be so happy as we? … I am quite pleased with Martha and Mrs. Lefroy for wanting the pattern of our caps, but I am not so well pleased with your giving it to them. Some wish, some prevailing wish, is necessary to the animation of everybody’s mind, and in gratifying this you leave them to form some other which will probably not be half so innocent. I shall not forget to write to Frank.”
The connection
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